Can-opening machine



Sept. 18, 1928. 1,684,414 A. RYDQUIST CAN OPENING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

M %a's TT0RNEY dogblzg d mi;

Sept. 18, 1928.

- A. RYDQUIST CAN OPENING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 1* 1928.

A. RYDQUIST CAN OPENING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25. 1922 35heets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR.

s A TTORNE! Patented Sept. 18, 1928 UNITED STATES PATENT oF'ncE.

ADOLPH RYDQUIST, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

CAN -O1?ENING MACHINE.

Application filed September 25, 1922. Serial No. 590,286.

) ranging for cutting the top in either of two ways in the one machine. Other improvements relate to the mann r in which the can is inserted and held in the machine or released therefrom and to these and other ends the invention resides in certainimprovements and combinations of parts, all as w1ll be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the clalms at the end of the specification? In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a can opening machine constructed in accordance-with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention, portions of the attaching means and of the can shown in place thereon being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a front view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top view, the handle being broken away;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4= Figure 1.

Fig. 5 is a similar view with the parts in another position. r

Fig. 6 is a vertical central section on the line 66 of Fig. 3. I

Fig. 7 is a similar sectlon w1th the partsv in another position.

Fig. 8 is a collective view partly 1n section'showing. the relationship of the cutter and anvil while the can is being gripped or Fig. 9 is a similar view showing such relationship when the can is released. I o P.

Fig. 10 .is an enlarged prospectlve vlew of a part of the clutch mechanism in detail.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the manner in which the cut'of one kind is made.

Fig. 12 is a similar view showing the man- 'ner in which a. cut of another kind is made and Fig. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary view tact is in that showing the top of the can partly cut in the manner of Fig. 11.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the. same parts.

The first given idea of the nature of the "machine, I provide a substantially vertically disposed anvil roll which engages on the in side of the bead of the can and operates as a driving mean to rotate it. In opposition to this anvil roll is a rotary cutter that is reversible and cuts the top either at the bead or seam or just below the seam. The can is supported wholly by this cutting engage ment of the two elements with the head or seam and semi-automatic operating mecha nism is provided whereby the cutter and anvil are moved relatively to each other to grip or release the can as the case may be.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 1 indicates a bracket supporter castmg having jaws 2 and 3 by means of which it may be clamped to the edge of a table 4-. with a screw 5 or permanently secured thereto by screws inserted in the openings 6 shown in Fig. 3. Anoverhanging cylindrical portion 7, faced off on top at 8 has a bearing form thereon in which turns a bushing 9 disposed at a slight backward angle. Within the bushing 9 is formed an eccentric bearing in which turns a shaft 10 carrying at its lower end a projecting knurled roller 11 constituting the driving roll and anvil against which the cut is made and which "cooperates with the bead of the can top as shown in Figs. 1, 11 and 12'. To the upper end of the shaft 10 is pinned at 12 a crank 13 which the operator turns by means of the knob 14.

The rotarycutter'wh'eel 15 has a cutting edge.16 having an-operative relationship with the anvil roll 11 that is shown in Figs. 6 and 11. This cutting edge is in a plane at an angle to the plane of the anvil but its point of conbead or seam o the can in direct opposition tothe anvil roll; I have illustrated in Figs. 11 and, 12a can bead of the usual-doubleseam type. The can is indicated at A and the lane and it runs around the top at B. The side wall A is turned at (a.

and doubled on itself .at a. This doubled portionis embraced by and locked into a doubled portion 5 of the top B the first fold, 'b, of which constitutes the rim or top of the bead.- The cutting edge 16 is so arranged and so related to the anvil 11 that it cuts only through the outer la er of the can top B near the top of the fold or seam between the folds or bends b and b. It is an upward or. slanting cut as before described and is preferably tangential to the. underlying top fold a of the can wall A. The purpose of this is twofold: first to 'give a tendency to lift the can top after it is severed and second to leave the opened can body with a smooth rim that will not injure the hands or prevent its use as a utensil after its contents are emptied.

The angular shearing cut leaves no burr on the portion of the can top that is left locked in the seam or head.

Regulating the above depth of cut is as-,

. end of the cutter roll that travels against the can wall ust beneath the bead. Its edgeeven compresses the can wall slightly or bows 1t 1n wardly as indicated at A in the region ofthe shoulder B of the can top and, acting agalnst this shoulder, operates to lift and free the severed top so that it can be readily removed from thd can with the fingers.

The cutter roll also has another Vs haped cutting edge 18 arranged above the edge 16 when 18 is inoperative as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 11. The cutting roll is reversible, however, and when it is turned end for end as in Figure 12 the cutting edge 18 pierces the can wall A just below the bead and below'the shoulder.B' shearing the side wall instead of the top as shown in Figure 12, if this is preferred or if the bead on the particular can being operated upon is of unusual shape or thickness or otherwise ill adapted to the cutter 16. .2 g The inclined axis of the cutting roller is defined by a detachable stud 19 upon which it freely turns and upon which it Is held only by a shoulder 20 on the supporting bracket 1 when not in use. When in operation the cutter is forced onto the stud and requires no fastening. The stud occupies a cylindrlcal socket 21 inthe support into which it is in- Serted and from whlch itmay be withdrawnb means of a head 22. Just beneath the head it is provided with an eccentric portion 23 00- cupying a slightly larger eccentric countersink from themouth of the socket 21. Rotation of this studlyvith the fingers jams the cocentric 23 sufiiciently to hold the stud in place thoughit can be easily released. When the stud 'is withdrawn the shoulder 20 cannot alone retain the cutter rolLwhich may thus be removedand reversed.

The operative relationship of the cutter and anvil rolls is shown in Figure 8. When it is desired to insert the can these elements must be separated as shown in Figure 9. This is accomplished by rotating the bushin 9-that carries .the anvil roll shaft 10 sli ht y from the position of Figure 8 to that 0 Figure 9, theshaft being eccentrically mounted in the posed clutch bushing as previously described. 7 I effect this relative movement 1n a semi-automatic manner by manipulation of ,the crank handle 13 only through the use of a clutch mechanism that I will now describe.

' On the face 8 of the support is a perforated plate 25 having an upturned marginal ear-26 constituting a stop. It is secured to the support by a clamp screw 27 occupying an arcuate slot 28 therein and which screw constitutes a second stop. Above the stop plate 25 and bearing againstthe same is an annular enlargement 29 on the bushing 9 constituting a clutch element. On the upper face of this clutch element is an arcuate cam tooth 30 upon which rides a gravity operated vertically disthe hub 33 of the crank 13, which hub has a bearing on the clutch element 29. When the crank 13 is turned to the right or clockwise as it normally is in cutting the can, this clutch pin 31 simply rides on the cam tooth 30 and drops off of the abrupt end face so that there is no clutch connection and the crank does not affect the position of the bushing 9 which is in the position of Figure 8. When, however, it

is desired to release the can or insert a can the bushing must be rotated to the position of Figure 9 which is accomplished by reversing the crank 13 to a counterclockwise direction whereupon the clutch pin 31 will lock against the end face of the tooth 30 and carry the latter and the bushing with it.

This release of the anvil roll 11 through rotation of its bushing having been accomplished it becomes necessary to return it to the .gripping position of Figure 8 to clamp the bead of the next can.

I do this in the present instance through the useof a shiftable abutment 34 shown in detail in Figure 10'. It has a cylindrical body portion 35that is pivotally mounted in the clutch element 29 of the bushing and has a curved face 36 that ma occu y a position concentric with the pat of t e clutch pin 31 as shown in Figure 4 or a cooked position in which the abutment will roject into the path of the pin 31 and bloc it as shown in Figure 5. When the reversal of the crank and the engagement of the 'pin 31-with the tooth 30 rotates the bushing 9 a suflicient distance it is stopped by a laterally projecting arm 37 on the abutment 34 which arm swings in a slot 38 in the hub 33 and en the stop screw 27 as'in Figure 5. There ore, on the initial movement of the crank to the r' ht with the can held in placewith its bead ietween the'cutter and anvil,'the clutch pin 31 will engage the abutment 34 and in this way pick up the bushing 9 forrotation with the crank which it does until the arm 37 strikes the other stop 26. This rotates the abutment pin 31 occupying a cavity 32 in,

I claim as my invention:

1. In a can opening machine, the combination with an anvil-adapted to cooperate with the inner side of the can bead, of a detachable reversible rotary cutter having,

in one position, a cutting edge adapted to travel peripherally of the bead in direct 0-pposition to the anvil and, in the other position, a second cutting edge adaptedv to travel peripherally of the can'just below the bead. 4 v 2. In a can opening machine, the combina tion with a support having a cylindrical socket therein provided with an eccentric portion, and an anvil mounted on the support, and adapted 'to cooperate with the inner side of the can bead, of a detachable stud extending through the socket and provided with an eccentric portion adapted to jam in the eccentric portion of the socket and a rotary cutter detachably mountedon the stud.

3. In a can opening machine, the comb-ination with a support having a cylindrical socket therein provided with an eccentric portion, and an anvil mounted on the support and adapted to cooperate with the inner side of the can bead, of a detachable portion adapted to jam in the eccentric portion of the socket and a rotar cutter detachably mounted on the projectlng end of the stud, the support being provided with a shoulder for normally retaining the cutter on the stud.

4. In a can opening machine, the combination with a support having a bearing and a bushing rotatable in the bearing and itself provided with an eccentric bearin of an anvil roll journalled in the bushing and adapted to travel upon one side of a can bead, a cutter on the support adapted to cooperate with the can in opposition to the anvil roller, a crank connected to the anvil roll and having a clutch pin thereon, means on the bushing interlocking with said clutch pin only when the crank is reversed in direction to crank is later rotated in the normal dir'ection and means for shifting said abutment out of the path of the clutch pin during the initial part of such normal movement of the crank.

5. In a can opening machine, the combination with a support having a bearing and a bushing rotatable in the bearing and itself provided with an eccentric bearing, of an anvil roll journalled in the bushing and adapted to travel upon one side of a can head, a cutter on the support adapted to cooperate with the can in opposition to the anvil roller, a stop plate on the support encircling the bushing and provided with two stops, the bushingbeing provided with an enlargement overlying the stop plate, a crank connected to the anvil roll and having a clutch pin thereon, means on the enlarged portion of the bushing interlocking with said clutch pin only when the crank is reversed in direction to carry the anvil roll away from the cutter and a shii'table abutment pivoted on the ,bushing and engaging one of the stops whereby it is thrown into the path of the clutch pin by the reversal of said crank to subsequently carry the anvil roll toward the cutter when the crank is later rotated in the normal direction, said abut-ment being shifted back to-inoperative position. by engagement with the other sto duringsuch normal movement of the cran ADOLPH RYDQUIST. 

